Plans approved for more affordable homes in Sandys
Plans to build 36 new residential units in Sandys have been given the green light to move forward by the Development Applications Board.
A submission by the Ministry of Housing and Municipalities proposed the erection of three residential buildings, each with three storeys on Cochrane Road.
The “Victoria Place II Village” proposal included a combination of 12 two-bedroom units and 24 three-bedroom units as well as parking for 53 cars and 60 bikes, a playground and a communal waste facility.
The design of the buildings matched those approved for development at the nearby former Albert Row site on Malabar Road and on Tommy Fox Road in St David’s.
The original plans garnered letters of objection from the Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce and the Bermuda Audubon Society over the use of open-space reserve and limited plantings at the site.
A report prepared for the DAB stated that an updated site plan was submitted, which incorporated shade trees and robust boundary hedges.
It recommended the proposal be approved, stating that while changes could be suggested to improve the visual impact of the buildings, they would come at additional cost.
The report for the DAB said: “The prefabricated system being employed for this development is intended to keep costs at a minimum in order to meet the urgent need identified by the Ministry of Housing and Municipalities to provide low-cost housing.
“This has resulted in a development proposal of utilitarian design, which would pose some adverse visual impacts on the local area.
“However, given the social benefits of the proposal as well as the acceptability of the proposal against all other considerations set out above, the proposal is, on balance, considered to be acceptable.”
The proposal was approved by the DAB in its meeting on October 21 with no questions or comments posed by the board.
The development will form part of Phase 1 of the Government’s $418.5 million new homes plan and will be built by Coastal Precast Systems, of Virginia, United States under a $64 million no-bid contract.
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